MONUMENT NO. 234025

Site of a Roman villa excavated in 1884; 12 rooms with a portico and a hypocaust were uncovered, possibly only one wing of the villa. Cropmarks of an Iron Age settlement and a probable Roman field system with possible grubenhauser cutting into it.

A small Roman villa of 12 rooms and a portico, in a field bordering on the road from Frilford to Kingston Bagpuize, was excavated in 1884 by Arthur Evans. [? outline visible on A.P. (3).] Eighty-eight feet from the north-east corner of the villa, two more rooms were found, one used either as a bath or a cistern. Evans regards these as belonging to a separate house. Earliest coin from the site is one of Trajan [98-117 AD] and the latest of Valens [364 - 378 AD.] [Cropmarks to the N. possibly connected with this site - see SU 49 NW 16] (2-3)

A number of pits dug for electric pylons in the vicinity of the Roman villa site, Frilford (SU 423975) revealed no sign of buildings or occupation. [The grid reference supplied places the site some distance farther north of the published entry, much nearer to the crop marks referred to in authy. 2.] (4)

Nothing significant is visible on the ground at the published site and recent ploughing has failed to reveal any Ro material. The nearest pylon is 500.0 m away. (See SU 49 NW 16 for some cropmarks possibly associated with the villa). (5)

General description with plan. In the hypocaust chamber were traces of tessellated pavement, broken by ploughing, with cubes of white stone and terra-cotta, and also mural painting in a variety of colours. The hypocaust pilae were of roughly split oolite slabs. The second building contained a furnace and a probable bathing chamber. Much Samian pottery, some New Forest ware and a few fragments of ware similar to Castor but probably from a kiln near Oxford, also other pottery, glass and coins. (6)

One wing only, with hypocaust and mosaic pavement. House is 73x40ft. overall. (7)

Continuity of occupation from IA to RO periods. Field system of probable RO date on aerial photos. Some features cutting into the villa field system could be sunken huts. (8)

Near the Filford Villa (SU 4297) surrounding paddocks and a large Iron Age settlement have been observed (See SU 49 NE 16). (9)

A plan of the building is given, together with a general plan of the area showing the associated cropmarks. (10)

OX 24 Listed as the site of a Roman villa. (11)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1960

( 2) Royal Archaeological Institute The Archaeological Journal

1897 (A.J. Evans) 54 Page(s)340

( 3) General reference

Air photos 106G/UK/1721/4016-7

( 4) Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society Oxoniensia

1949 (Atkinson and Kirk) 14 Page(s)76

( 5) Field Investigators Comments

F1 JP 07-JUN-63

( 6) edited by P H Ditchfield and William Page 1906 The Victoria history of Berkshire, volume one

The Victoria history of the counties of England Page(s)207-8

( 7) edited by A L F Rivet 1969 The Roman villa in Britain

Page(s)54,55,270

( 8) Council for British Archaeology Group 9: South Midlands archaeology newsletter

1979 Page(s)126-8

( 9) Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies Britannia : a journal of Romano-British and kindred studies

1980 (Grew F.O.) 11 Page(s)396

(10) edited by David Miles 1982 The Romano-British countryside : studies in rural settlement and economy